Rising From Tragedy
by nebula2
Summary: A ski trip to Denver was suppose to be a chance for the Tracy family to spend some needed time together. However, a tragic turn of events would suddenly change their lives forever.
1. The Night Before

Disclaimer: All characters of the Thunderbirds movie-verse do not belong to me. I'm merely borrowing them for my own amusement and the amusement of my readers. All original characters are my creation, so please don't use them without my consent.

**Meg Tracy's POV:**

As I dried the last plate, I glanced out the window into the backyard. Virgil, Scott, John and Gordon were out there playing a game of baseball - well at least a four-person version of baseball. At least the four of them were getting along right now. I had spent the last couple of evenings breaking up squabbles between them. Though I loved all five of my boys, there were times that all I wanted was a break from them.

Looking away from the window, I finished drying the plate and put it up in the cupboard as the phone rang. I closed the cupboard door and dropped the dish towel onto the counter. Walking over to the phone, I picked it up.

"Hello."

"Hello, Honey. I'm not going to make dinner tonight," came Jeff's voice over the phone. The call didn't surprise me. It had become a common thing for Jeff to work late these last few months. Most nights the kids were already in bed by the time he got home.

Jeff had been working six sometime seven days a week at Tracy Industries since September. There had been many nights when he hadn't made it home in time for dinner. I understood that there was a lot going on at the company. Jeff was reorganizing the company along with working on a merger with another company. Jeff was also helping a longtime friend of his, Dr. Mark Harper, to set up a free clinic at the hospital he had privileges at. However, I also missed my husband and the kids missed their father.

"And the trip?" I asked trying not to sound to disappointed. The ski trip had been Jeff's idea. A chance for us to spend some time together as a family. Something that I knew we all needed desperately. I kept praying that nothing would cause us to cancel it.

"Nothing is going to get in the way of this ski trip," Jeff told me. "That's why I need to work late tonight. I have some final things to wrap up with the merger before I leave for the week. After that, Marley can handle the transition. I promise, I'm leaving work completely behind me while we're in the mountains."

"Okay," I replied. I was about to say something else when I heard a commotion outside.

"Ow!" I heard someone cry out. I wasn't sure but it sounded like John.

"Some pitcher you are, Scott," I heard Virgil call out.

"I didn't mean it," Scott replied. "John are you okay? John, where are you going?"

Well that told me for sure who the first shout had come from. I also had a very good idea about what had happened. Though he kept on trying, baseball was not John's game.

"I'm not playing anymore," came John's voice. I could hear a slight tremble in it.

"Jeff, I've got to go. Something is up with the boys. I'll see you when you get home."

"Okay, Meg. Love you."

"I love you too." I told him quickly and hung up the phone. I turned around to head outside. I got half way to the door when it opened and John came in. His left eye was already turning black and blue and I could see tears glistening in his eyes.

"John, what happened?" I said rushing over to my twelve-year-old son.

"Scott beamed him with the softball," ten-year-old Virgil supplied coming in behind him.

"I didn't mean to," Scott said defensively from behind Virgil. "It was an accident. Most people usually move out of the way if the ball comes that close to them," Scott said as I led John over to the stools near the counter.

"You told me to quit ducking. That I would never hit the ball if I didn't keep my eye on it," John said as he sat down on one of the stools and I went to get an ice pack out of the freezer.

"That's when the ball is actually going over the plate, stupid."

"Scott Tracy!" I scolded looking back at my oldest son. "You know you're not suppose to call anybody that word! Now apologize to your brother!"

"Sorry, John," Scott said quietly looking down at the floor.

"Now go to your room," I told him as I wrapped a dish towel around the ice pack and applied it to John's eye.

"For how long?" Scott asked.

"Until I say you can come out," I told him.

"Man, this sucks," my fourteen-year-old said, even as he headed for the steps. "He's the one who wanted to play baseball. I can't help it if he sucks at the game."

"Watch the mouth young man," I called after him.

There were times when I didn't know what to do with my eldest son. He had never exactly enjoyed school but he had still managed C's up until this year. His first two report cards hadn't been all that great. He had a D in both history and math the first semester and a D in English and gym the second semester. The D in gym class had been because of mouthing off at the gym teacher and not participating. Scott knew the rules though, he either pulled his grades up to solid C's or he didn't play little league come spring. So far this semester he had pulled all his grades up to C's though, which was the only reason I had let Jeff talk me into taking the kids out of school for this ski trip. Not to mention that we needed some time together as a family.

"Where's Gordon?"I asked, realizing he wasn't in the kitchen.

"Probably still outside," Virgil said. He was still standing near the back door, probably ready to go back outside himself. It had rained the last few days and this was the first chance the kids had gotten a chance to go outside. The four older boys had been outside since they had come home from school.

"Well, how about you go get Alan from the living room and take him outside with you. You and Gordon can keep an eye on him while I get dinner ready."

"Okay," Virgil said, not seeming at all happy about having to keep an eye on his four-year-old brother. I watched him walk toward the family room to get Alan though.

I couldn't really blame him. Watching a four year old wouldn't have been my idea of fun at that age either, but Alan had wanted to go outside earlier. I had kept him inside though because the older boys were playing baseball, and I didn't want him to get hit with the ball. Now that Scott was in his room, and John was in here, the game was pretty much over with. I figured it would be good for my youngest to get outside for a little while.

"Keep that on your eye," I told John, as he reached up to take the ice pack from me.

I left his side to start dinner for the boys. I'd eat later when Jeff got home.

"I'm never playing baseball again," John said. He was now sitting facing the counter, his elbows on the counter top as he held the ice pack to his eye.

"The game isn't for everyone," I told him softly, even though I knew that decision wouldn't hold for long. The next time Scott went to play baseball with his friends, I was sure John would be tagging along with him. John never had been one for team sports. The exception to that was soccer. He had tried out for and made the middle school soccer team last fall. Baseball, basketball and football he just couldn't seem to get. Unfortunately, those were the sports that Scott loved so of course John kept trying, just to be with his older brother. John was forever tagging along with Scott and his friends which was usually how he got into trouble.

Virgil was okay at sports but he only played with his friends or brothers or in gym class. He was much more interested in music and ballet, although he had recently started taking a lot of kidding from his class mates about the latter and was talking about quitting. Although I didn't like the reason he was going to give it up for, I also wasn't going force him to keep doing it. I wanted my boys to do what they enjoyed and have fun with it. They were still young. I wanted them to enjoy things while they were young. I knew getting teased by his classmates couldn't be fun.

I could already tell Gordon was going to be another jock like Scott. He enjoyed all sports, swimming being his favorite, and at eight years old could already beat Scott at a one on one game of basketball, without his older brother going easy on him. Last fall he had spent a lot of time with John, when John practiced his soccer skills and was picking that up as well. I just hoped Scott's attitude didn't rub off on any of his younger brothers.

"How was school today?" I asked John as I started cutting the vegetables for the stir-fry.

"Okay," he replied with a shrug.

"How did the book report go?"

"Okay I guess. Not as many kids laughed at me this time when I started stumbling over the words," he told me. "Why do we have to do oral book reports anyway?" he complained.

"It's a confidence builder," I told him. "I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you thought it was."

"I wish I could just do the school work without actually going to school," John said.

"It'll get better, Angel" I told him. Words I had been repeating to him for years.

Part of me really did want to home school him. To be able to shelter him from the other kids at school. John was just so shy and sensitive that it was hard for him to talk to the other kids. Hard to make friends. The other kids making fun of him didn't help matters either. I had been excited when he had gotten interested in soccer. It gave him something to do with kids that shared the same interest as him. I had been hoping he might make a friend or two but while all the kids on the team were nice enough to him, he hadn't really made a connection with anyone.

Still, he needed the social experience more than he needed the book learning. John brought home straight A's easily. Jeff and I were considering sending him to a private school where the classes would be smaller thinking he might do better in that kind of setting. Of course that also meant that unless we pulled the others out of public school too, he wouldn't have the support of his brothers. Neither of us were sure what to do.

While I prepared dinner, I asked some more questions trying to get John to talk about his day. Before long he was talking openly, and I quit with the questions.

"Let's see what that eye looks like?" I said as I turned the stove off and crossed over to the counter, taking the ice pack from him. It didn't look that good at all. "Does it still hurt?" I asked him.

"A little," he admitted.

I went to the cupboard and got a couple of Tylenol out for him to take hoping they would help. I'd wait until Jeff came home and see what he thought before dragging him to the ER. Scott could keep an eye on Virgil and Gordon but I didn't feel comfortable leaving Alan with him, which meant I would have to take Alan with me if I went now. A four-year-old running around a waiting room wasn't exactly my idea of fun.

"Can you go outside and get your brothers for dinner?" I asked him.

John nodded and headed for the back door. I went upstairs to spring my eldest son from his room.

**Jeff's POV:**

"Are you sure your wife isn't going to mind me spending the night?" Mark asked as we got out of our cars and headed from the garage to the house.

"Has she ever minded you stopping by, Mark?" I told him with a laugh. "When she married me, she knew you were part of the deal."

Mark and I had been friends since sixth grade, when he had been assigned to show me, the new kid, around the school. We had been inseparable since despite our different choice in careers. We had gone to the same college pursuing our different careers only to end up working at the same place - NASA. I was training to become an astronaut and Mark was working with the base physician having just graduated medical school.

I had met Meg during my years at NASA as she was an aspiring astronaut herself. Where I had gotten the chance to go into space, Meg had never quite been that lucky. When she had finally been chosen for a mission she found out she was pregnant with our first child two weeks before the launch.

After Scott was born, Meg wanted to be a stay at home mom. I had stayed with NASA for a few more years and then left to start my own business.

Now Mark had his own practice at the hospital and did shifts at the local ER and I ran Tracy Industries both in the same town. Mark had even become my family physician and I wouldn't trust my family's health to anyone else. It was only natural that he had approached me as a partner for starting up the free clinic he wanted to open at the local hospital. A venture I was only too happy to back. Along with the merger, I had spent a lot of time lately with Mark trying to get that free clinic up and running. Like all other business though, we were both determined to put the clinic behind us on our upcoming ski trip.

"Yeah, I still don't know what she was thinking when she did that," Mark told me jokingly.

I laughed as I opened the door to the house, and entered the kitchen.

"Goodnight, Mom," John was saying as he gave Meg a hug.

"Goodnight. I'll send your father up as soon as he gets home," she told him.

"No need to, I'm already home," I said letting my presence be known. As soon as John saw me, he rushed toward me and threw his arms around me. I hugged him back. "What happened to the eye?" I asked him having noticed his swollen black and blue eye. That must have been the reason that Meg had to get off the phone earlier.

"Scott hit me with the softball while we were playing a game this afternoon," John told me.

"Guess you finally didn't duck one, huh" I told him messing up his hair. John had always been afraid of the ball whenever we tried playing catch or he tried hitting it. It didn't stop him from trying though.

"I wish he had," Meg said from her spot at the sink. "I debated taking him to the ER to get checked out."

"No need to," Mark said from behind me. "You're lucky that you have a doctor that still makes house calls. I'll take a look at it, if it will put your mind at ease."

"Thanks, Mark," Meg said.

Mark had John sit down in a chair at the table, and I walked over and gave my wife a kiss and a hug.

"So where are the others?" I asked her as we pulled away from each other.

"Alan's in bed already, Gordon and Virgil are upstairs packing for the trip as they hadn't done so yet, and Scott's in the living room watching tv."

"Okay, well let me go see each of them and then we'll sit down to dinner," I told her knowing she had waited to eat until I got home. "Mark's spending the night," I told her. "I figured as we were both working late and we want to get an early start it would be easier."

"Not a problem. I'll set another place at the table," Meg replied.

"He'll be fine," I heard Mark tell her as I headed upstairs.

I went to Alan's room first, kissing my sleeping son's forehead and quietly leaving the room. I stopped by John's room to say goodnight as he had come upstairs and climbed in bed in the meanwhile. I checked on Gordon and Virgil who were finishing up their packing.

"Excited about the trip boys?" I asked them as I sat down on Virgil's bed.

"Yeah," they both said excitedly. It was the first time this year that we were going skiing as a family. Meg and her sister, Beth, had taken the two older boys to the Poconos one weekend and Mark had taken Virgil and Gordon one weekend when he went skiing with his brother. I hadn't gone yet this year as I had been too busy with work.

"Remember this may be a vacation but your school work still needs to get done. No waiting until next weekend and trying to rush through it."

"We won't," Virgil said.

"Scott's the one you have to worry about doing his school work. The rest of us always do our homework," Gordon said sounding a little upset that I would think he wouldn't do his school work.

"I know that," I told him. "Set a good example for your big brother for me though will you."

"Okay," Gordon said.

"You two about finished?"

"Yeah."

"Well when you're through, how about getting ready for bed. I want to get an early start in the morning."

"Okay," Virgil replied, speaking for both Gordon and himself.

"Goodnight boys," I told them giving them both a hug before leaving the room.

I headed back downstairs to the living room to see my oldest son. Scott was sitting on the couch watching Unsolved Mysteries.

"That's some shiner you gave your brother," I said lightly as I sat down beside him.

"It was an accident," Scott said defensively. " I didn't mean to hit him. Who knew the one pitch that happened to be off would be the one he decides not to duck?"

"I know," I told him, laughing. I couldn't help it. Scott had a point and when you thought about it that way it seemed humorous. "You do realize though that the only reason he keeps trying is because he wants to spend time with you don't you," I told him growing serious once more.

My two eldest boys were like night and day. Still, I knew John idolized his older brother. Would do anything for him even though it usually got him into trouble. And even though Scott sometimes found having his brothers around annoying he was protective of all of them, even more so of John. I had seen Scott refuse to go places or do something with his friends when his friends didn't want John around.

"I wish he'd find his own friends so he wasn't hanging around so much," Scott complained.

"It's not as easy for him to makes friends as it is for you Scott," I reminded him. "If he didn't spend time with you and your friends I think he would stay around the house all the time."

"I know. I don't think he's ever going to learn how to hit a baseball though. The only reason the others let him play is because I refuse to play unless he's on my team. They know whenever he is up to bat that he's going to strike out."

"Yeah, well he might surprise you one day," I told him. "And in the mean time I think he repays you quite enough for covering up for you when you're out past curfew," I told him. Scott looked up at me surprised. "I know about last week, when John told your Mom you went to bed early and then made the bed look like you were in it. I saw you climbing up the tree on your way back in."

This was the first time I had been able to confront him about it, without Meg knowing about it or waking him up at some ridiculous hour when I had finally gotten home. I couldn't wait for things to slow down at work. I hated being away from my family so much.

Scott looked down at the floor knowing he had been busted.

"Are you going to tell Mom?" he asked me softly.

"No, it can be our secret this time but you need to stop sneaking out like that Scott. What if you fell trying to climb the tree or getting to the tree from the window or vice versa."

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it," he said.

"Well, maybe you should start thinking about things a bit more before you actually go ahead and do them." Scott nodded. I just hoped I had gotten through to him. I really didn't want to go back to the yelling matches we had at the beginning of the school year. "Don't stay up too late," I told him.

"I just want to see the end of this show," he replied.

"Okay. Goodnight kiddo," I told him standing up and heading back toward the kitchen.

"Goodnight Dad, "he replied.


	2. Denver

**Jeff's POV:**

"Are you sure he knows how to fly this thing," I heard Beth whisper to Meg as we got ready to board the Tracy Industries jet plane on which I was flying my family, Beth, Mark, and Cecily Shores, one of my employee's daughter who was coming with us to help keep an eye on Alan, out to Denver, Colorado.

"Yes I know how to fly this thing," I told her, coming up behind her. "Just relax," I said, resting my hand on her should briefly as I walked by. "We'll be out west and back on the ground before you know it."

"I just hope it's when we plan and not earlier than we plan."

"Beth you've flown before," Meg told her sister. "Just relax. Jeff and I are both experienced pilots and don't let John hear you talking like that. He's scared enough of flying as it is," she said looking over at where John stood with Alan and Mark. My friend was trying to entertain the both of them. Alan seemed more interested in watching what was going on around the airport than paying attention to Mark. The other three boys were helping load the gear on the plane.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie," I told Meg leaning in to kiss her. "Hope you don't mind spending your birthday traveling."

"Little late to worry about that now isn't it," she said with a grin. "Seriously though, I'm with my family on my birthday, what more could I want."

"I'll have to give you your gift out in Colorado. It's somewhere in my bag," I told her with a shrug. "At least I hope it is." Meg hit me playfully on the arm.

I picked up the last two suitcases and carried them to the plane. Everything packed I turned to the group hanging around.

"Okay, everyone on board. We're ready to go," I called out.

Virgil, Gordon, and Alan all ran for the steps leading onto the plane. Everyone else followed at a more normal pace.

"Dad, can I sit up front with you?" Scott asked me as we walked toward the plane.

I glanced over at Meg. I had just recently started giving Scott unofficial flying lessosn and he was catching on quick. Still, I didn't know how my wife would feel about it.

She shrugged her shoulders at me which told me she didn't care.

"I don't see why not," I told Scott.

Soon we were all on board and buckled in, Scott in the co-pilot's seat next to me. I radioed the tower for clearance to take off and then began taxing toward the runway. Before long we were up in the air, leaving Florida and heading for Denver.

In the back, I heard Gordon and Virgil exclaiming over the different things they saw out the windows as we climbed altitude.

"John you should look outside. It's so cool," I heard Virgil say.

"No thanks," John said quickly.

"Wimp."

"Gordon leave your brother alone," I called back to him.

**John's POV:**

I heard my brother's comments as they looked out their windows. I tried to concentrate on the book in front of me. Trying not to dwell on the fact that we were thousands of miles above the earth in a hunk of metal. I didn't know what my whole family saw in flying. If we were meant to fly, we would have been given wings. The air was for the birds.

_Wimp._

Although Gordon hadn't said anything else since Dad had scolded him, his one word stuck with me. I wasn't a wimp. I was just the only one in my family who wasn't completely insane. Planes crashed. And when they crashed, there weren't always survivors.

I felt my mom put her arm around my shoulders. I gave up on the book that I couldn't seem to concentrate on anyways, and leaned my head on her shoulder. At least with Scott up front, my mom was back here with me.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that I was safely back on the ground. That I couldn't fall to earth because I was already safely on the earth. I definitely couldn't wait for this flight to end.

I felt the plane finally level out. After awhile I sat up and went back to my book. It took me a little bit until I could really get into it, having to reread paragraphs a couple of times at first. Eventually though I was lost in book and completely forgot about being high above the earth. Still, I would be much happier when the plane finally landed in Colorado.

**Meg's POV:**

I stood with the boys, Beth, Cecily and our luggage in the Denver airport. Jeff and Mark were arranging for the rental van so we could get from the airport to the lodge. Alan was asleep in my arms. Cecily had engaged my other four boys in a game of twenty questions. Having the teen along with us was a relief. Even with Beth's help, entertaining and keeping tabs on five boys was going to be more work than vacation.

I was glad to see that John acting like himself now that we were back on the ground.

"Okay, all set!" Jeff said, as he walked toward us, dangling the key to the van in the air. Mark wasn't with him, so I was assuming he was waiting at the van. "How about we hit the road. No point in spending any more of this vacation in the airport than we have to!"

The game of twenty questions was quickly forgotten at those words. Gathering up the luggage, we all followed Jeff out of the building and to the waiting van. While Jeff and Mark got the luggage packed in the back of the van, Beth and Cecily helped me get the kids settled in the van. It wasn't long before we were pulling out of the airport parking lot and onto the highway. In the back the older boys were commenting on the things they were seeing pass by the window. Alan was still asleep.

I looked over at Jeff behind the wheel. It was going to be nice to have him all to ourselves, without his job calling him about this or that. He glanced over and caught my eye. Smiling, he reached out one hand toward me as he turned his attention back to the road. I took it in one of mine and looked out the windshield once again myself.

"I still can't believe Dad let you sit up front with him the whole trip," Virgil commented, the outside sights obviously losing interest.

"Not only that, he let me fly the jet for awhile," Scott replied excitedly.

I smiled. Scott shared his father's enthusiasm for flying. Other than baseball, it was the one thing our son had shown any interest in. At times it worried me though. He was only fourteen, and he was already talking about wanting to join the Air Force when he graduated High School. I didn't like the idea of him joining the military but I also knew I wouldn't try to stop him. I wanted my kids to follow their dreams. Higher education held no appeal for my eldest son. Sometimes, I thought it would be a miracle if he ever graduated highschool.

"I can't wait until I'm old enough to get lessons too. Actually flying a plane would be so cool," Virgil commented.

"Well one thing is for sure, you'll be flying a plane before scaredy-cat over there," Scott said. I knew he was referring to John without looking back.

"I'm not a scaredy-cat," John said defensively.

"You are too. You're scared to fly. You duck every time a ball comes in your direction. I'm surprised you don't jump at your own shadow."

"Scott," Jeff said in a warning tone, even as I looked over my shoulder. John had taken off his seatbelt and had gone after his older brother who was sitting beside him.

"Hey, you two cool it," Mark said grabbing a hold of John and pulling him away from Scott. "Trade seats with me John," Mark said undoing his own seatbelt. He slid over and John moved around him to sit where Mark had been sitting.

With everything seemingly under control, I turned back around. Hopefully, once we got to the lodge and the boys weren't in a confined space, they would get along. If not, this could be a long trip. Five boys sure kept me busy but I wouldn't give any of them up for anything.

A half hour and two arguments later, Jeff finally pulled the van into the lodge parking lot. I was relieved to see the lodge and the end of the car trip, as Alan was now awake and annoying Gordon who was sitting next to him. I'm not sure who was more excited to get out of the van, the kids or myself.

"I'll go check in," Jeff said to me as he walked around to my side of the van. "Why don't you, Beth and Mark start unpacking and organizing this stuff to go inside. I'll take Alan with me."

"Okay," I told him as he took Alan from Beth who had just gotten him out of the car seat. Mark was trying to keep Gordon, Virgil and Scott from wandering too far from the van.

"John, you want to come with me?" Jeff asked. Poor John had taken the brunt of the teasing that had gone on during the car trip.

He nodded and followed his father across the parking lot toward the lodge. I think he was more than happy to get away from his brothers, though I also knew he would be happy just to be with his father. John idolized his father but Jeff had always tended to spend more time with the other boys. I don't think it was intentional it was just that the others tended to enjoy sports and outdoor activities more than John. Not to mention they loved to go up in the plane with their father to sight see while John wouldn't voluntarily step foot on a plane.

When John had expressed an interest in spending time at the office with his father last month to see what went on there, I think part of the reason was just to be able to spend more time with his father. I was relieved when Jeff had agreed to it, but that it had to wait for the summer so it wouldn't interfere with school.

As Jeff and the two boys walked across the parking lot, I turned back to the car. Cecily was watching the other three boys and Mark and Beth had started unpacking. I started helping them.

~*~

"Jeff, are you ready yet?" I called out as I walked through the door that connected our room with Gordon and Alan's. Beth and Mark were sharing a room across the hall from us. Next to them Virgil, John and Scott were all sharing a room. Cecily had one of her own next to the three older boys. "You seem to be the only one we're waiting on."

"Almost," he called from the bathroom.

I sighed. The next time he complained about me taking forever to get ready I was going to bring this up to him. There was a knock at the door. Crossing to the door, I opened it to find Mark and Beth standing in the hallway with the others.

"You guys ready?" Mark asked. There was something in his voice that told me he was up to something but I couldn't figure out what.

"I am. Jeff isn't." I told him.

"Well, how about we take everyone downstairs. You and Jeff can join us when he's ready."

"I don't see why not. Alan! Gordon!" I called out. Alan and Gordon were soon in the doorway. "Why don't you head downstairs with Aunt Beth and the others."

"Okay!" they both said excitedly, hurrying across the room to join the others in the hallway.

"See you in a few," Beth said, with a smile.

Something was going on. What was it?

I closed the door and turned just in time to find Jeff walking out of the bathroom.

"The others are waiting for us downstairs," I told him as he walked over to the bed and his bag that he hadn't quite unpacked yet. Having spent most of the afternoon getting the kids settled, our room was still in disarray. I knew what I would be doing after dinner. "What are you looking for?" I asked as he started going through the bag.

"This," he said holding up a long, thin jewelry box. He walked over and handed it out to me. "Happy Birthday, Meg."

I took the box from him and slowly opened it. Inside laid a beautiful amethyst and diamond necklace. "Jeff, its lovely" I said once I got my breath back.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said softly. "Let's see how it looks!"

Taking the necklace out of the box he held it up. I slowly turned around, letting him bring the necklace down in front of me. I looked down at the necklace as he did the clasp. I had never seen anything so beautiful and just the fact that Jeff had given it to me, made it all that more special.

"Just as lovely as it wearer," Jeff commented as I turned around to face him.

"Thank-you," I told him. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I stood up on my toes to kiss him.

"Now how about we go join the others before they get impatient and eat dinner without us," Jeff said. He wrapped an arm around my waist as I fell in step beside him.

The two of us walked down to the lodge dining room. I looked around for Beth, Mark and the kids but couldn't see them anywhere. Jeff led me through the dining room.

"I don't see them," I commented.

"Don't worry," Jeff said easily. What was going on?

As we got to the back, he lead me through a door. A yell of, "surprise", rang in my ears. There, in the lodge's private banquet room, was Mark, Beth, my children, and Cecily. Gordon and Alan, with the help of Cecily, were holding a banner that read - Happy Birthday Mom.

"You were stalling on purpose," I said turning to my husband as I realized what had happened.

"Who me?" he said innocently with a shrug.

~*~

"Did you enjoy your party, Mom?" Gordon asked as I walked from Alan's bed to his.

"Yes I did, very much. Thank-you," I told him as I sat down on the edge of his bed. Gordon sat up and gave me a hug. "The surprise dinner was the best present you could've given me."

"It was my idea even though the others helped plan it," he said beaming. Jeff had already told me that Gordon had come up with the idea and the older three boys had done the planning. This was definitely turning out to be my best birthday ever.

"You all did a great job and I loved the banner," I told him as he laid back down. I pulled the blankets over him and tucked them under his chin. Leaning down, I kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight, Mom."

I stood up and headed for the door to Jeff and mine's room. I turned off the light, and pulled the door most of the way shut behind me.

"Those two settled?" Jeff asked, looking up as I entered the room. He was working on putting his stuff away.

"Yeah. I'm going to go check on the other three," I told him. As he nodded, I walked to the other door. I stepped across the hallway the older boys' room. I knocked on the door.

"Come in," I heard Scott call out.

Opening the door I found a semi-dark room. Virgil was sitting at the desk with the lamp on. I could see that he had school books opened in front of him. Scott was on one of the beds, the lamp on the bedside table next to him on. The two lamps were the only source of light in the room.

Looking for John, I found out why. John was already in bed, fast asleep. The book on the bedside table told me he had probably been reading in bed and Scott had already moved the book.

I walked over to my sleeping son, and ran my fingers through his bangs. He stirred but didn't wake up. Leaning over, I kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Angel," I whispered softly.

I stood up and turned to Scott who had the bed next to John's. In his hand was a Superman comic.

"Don't think that just because you're on vacation you can forget about your homework."

"Mom, it's the first night. Give me a break!"

"I expect you to have something completed by bed time tomorrow," I told him. I had a list from the school of all the assignments the four boys were expected to have completed when they went back to school. The only one I was expecting trouble with, was Scott and my eldest seemed to be proving me right.

"I will, Mom."

"Okay. Goodnight then," I said giving him a hug.

"Goodnight, Mom."

I said goodnight to Virgil, and telling them not to stay up too much longer, left the room and headed back to my own. I planned on finishing my own unpacking and then climbing into bed.

**_The Next Day:_**

**Scott's POV:**

"Come on, one more run," I said to John and Virgil as we stood at the bottom of one of the intermediate trails. Mom and Dad were one of the beginning trails with Gordon. "Uncle" Mark and Aunt Beth were on the advanced trails. I had noticed that the two of them had been spending a lot of time together so far on this trip. I kind of hoped the two of them would get together. Dad's friend was around a lot and it would be nice to have him officially part of the family.

Alan was with Cecily hanging around near the lodge. I knew next year Mom and Dad would probably have him on skis.

John had suggested heading back to the lodge. We still had two hours before everyone was meeting for dinner and I didn't want to go back to the lodge. It was suppose to snow hard tomorrow which meant we would probably be stuck in or near the lodge.

"I'm up for it," Virgil told me.

"One more time, John, please" I said again, pleadingly. Usually John was the one we had to drag away from the slopes, skiing being something athletic that he was good at.

"I'm tired," John replied not giving in.

"We'll take it easy," I told him. "Please."

"Okay," John said with a sigh, finally giving in.

"Great!" I said excitedly as I headed for the ski lift, my brothers following me. By this time the people on the lifts were starting to thin a little, as people started heading back to the lodge for dinner.

We got in line, and before long we were on the lift heading for the top of the mountain. As we rode up I glanced across at John, who was sitting on the other side of Virgil. He did look kind of worn out. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

It was too late to worry about that now though. We were already on our way up. The quickest and easiest way back down was to ski down.

As we were getting off the lift, John fell down which was uncommon for him. John was without doubt the best skier of us kids. Dad had even taken him up to the advanced trails last year which was something I didn't even do. I was content to stay on the intermediate trails.

"Are you okay?" I asked him as he struggled to his feet.

"Yeah," John said sounding frustrated as well as worn out. I was really starting to regret suggesting going down the trail one more time. John tended to go along with just about anything and I had the tendency to take advantage of that. I had a feeling this was one of those times. The fact that he had wanted to go back to the lodge should have told me something but I had been to wrapped up in wanting to get one more run in.

I looked over at Virgil to find him looking back at me. I could tell he was thinking the same thing that I was.

Without another word, John started heading down toward the trail we had just come down. There were three intermediate trails at the resort, but Winding Alley was our favorite. With a shrug to Virgil, I started off after John.

John didn't get too far before he fell. I was more than certain something was up then. John hadn't fallen all day and now he had just fallen twice within five minutes. I could tell that this was going to be a long run.

I tried to stay with John at first, taking it slow. The couple of times that he fell, I stopped and waited for him to get up. Virgil stayed behind us which was normal. He was usually the one John and I stopped and waited for on the runs.

We had just past the halfway marker, when John fell for the fourth time. I stopped and looked up the mountain. Virgil was had fallen again himself and was climbing to his feet. I looked back down and across the trail to where John still sat in the snow.

"You okay?" I asked him as I came to a stop just below him.

John was taking off one of his skis which made it easier to get up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," John said softly as he slowly stood up. As he struggled to his feet I noticed how flushed his face looked.

I took off one of my gloves and reached out, putting my hand to his forehead. Despite the chill in the air and the wind, John's face felt warm. I knew that wasn't good even taking into consideration, the physical exertion of skiing.

"Why don't we let Virgil catch up," I told him as John secured his ski boot back into the ski he had taken off.

John just nodded. I felt guilty. I should've listened to him when he had said he wanted to go back to the lodge but no, all I had cared about was myself. I had wanted one more run because of the incoming weather.

Somehow, we all managed to finally get to the bottom of the slopes. I reached the bottom first and had already taken my skis off by the time the other two reached the bottom. I glanced at my watch. It had taken us an hour and ten minutes to get down the trail but that still meant we had fifty minutes before dinner. At least we wouldn't have to rush to get back to the lodge on time.

As soon as John had his skis off I picked them up. The least I could do was carry the heavy, awkward things for him.

"Thanks," John told me.

"No problem," I replied as the three of us started our trek back to the lodge.

We were almost there when we got bombarded with snowballs. I looked around for the source and soon spotted Cecily and Alan crouching behind a snow wall that they had built. From behind their shield they were throwing the snowballs at us. Dropping the skis, I quickly made my own snow ball and tossed it in their direction, trying to get it to arc over the wall but still hit one of them. At this point I didn't really care which one I hit.

Virgil, who had been behind John and I, put down his own stuff and made his own snowball. Instead of trying to get it over the snow wall though, I saw Virgil moving toward the side of where they were. From there, he started tossing snowballs at them from the side.

"Hey, no fair," Cecily said as she was the closest to Virgil's bombardment of snowballs.

"All is fair in love and war," Virgil told her. "And this is definitely war."

Cecily stopped throwing the snowballs in my direction and started throwing them at Virgil instead. That left me to continue the snowball fight with my little brother.

We were still enjoying our snowball fight when Mom and Dad joined us.

"Where's John?" Mom asked me as the snowball fight came to an end as they told us it was time to head inside to get ready for dinner. I saw Gordon coming toward the lodge with Aunt Beth and "Uncle" Mark.

I hadn't realized John had disappeared. Considering how he had been feeling, I was assuming that he had went inside and up to our room.

"I think he went inside," I told her. "We all came back to the lodge together," I told her defensively when I saw the disapproving look that came across her face at my answer.

"Well, why don't you go upstairs and make sure he's up there," Dad told me.

"Okay," I told him as I bent down to pick up our skis to take up to our room with us.

"Don't worry Meg, I'm sure he's fine," I heard Dad tell my mom softly as I headed inside the lodge.

I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about John. I was on a roll today.

I headed for the closest elevators, and headed upstairs.

"John," I called out when I used the keycard to open the door to the room I was sharing with him and Virgil.

I leaned the skis up against the wall next to the ski poles that John had been carrying. Looking over toward the beds, I saw that John was on his. He was laying on his side, facing the wall. I unzipped my coat and tossed it over the back of the chair by the desk in the room.

"Hey John," I said again walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Looking down at him, I realized that he had fallen asleep. I put my hand to his forehead again and realized he still felt warm. Reaching over to my bed, I took the blanket off of it and covered him up. I stood up, ready to go get Dad when John spoke up.

"Hey Scott," I heard him say turning to look up at me. "Don't tell Mom or Dad."

"John, I really don't think we should keep this from them," I said sitting back down on the bed.

"Please, Scott," he said. "I don't want to ruin the vacation for anyone."

Before I could reply, the door opened and Virgil came in.

"Dad said for us to meet them down in the lobby for dinner," Virgil said putting his skis and ski poles up against the wall with the rest. "What's going on?" he said looking over at us.

"John's sick and he wants me to keep it quiet from Mom and Dad," I told him.

"It's a bad idea," Virgil said instantly.

"That's what I think," I told him.

"Please, you two," John said again. "You know Mom will overreact. She'll have us all heading home tonight."

I sighed. John was right. Mom probably would insist on going home if she knew John was sick.

"Okay, we won't say anything right now," I said giving in. Virgil shot me a disapproving look. "Right Virgil?"

Virgil hesitated for a minute. I thought for sure he wasn't going to go along with it but then he sighed and gave in.

"Fine, but I think it's a bad idea. What about dinner?"

"Food is the last thing on my mind," John said.

"We'll tell them John's not hungry and wanted to stay in the room," I said, directing the comment mostly at Virgil. My middle brother was the one I had to convince. It wasn't completely a lie.

Virgil nodded and the two of us headed for the door.

"Are you sure about this John?" I asked one last time looking in his direction as I stood at the door.

"I'll be fine," John told me. I wasn't at all convinced. I had a feeling I had just made a promise that I shouldn't have made.

"Okay, we'll be back soon," I told him putting an arm around Virgil's shoulders and leading him out the door.

The two of us hurried downstairs and met the rest of the family by the fireplace in the lobby.

"Where's Aunt Beth and "Uncle" Mark?" I asked as Virgil and I joined them.

"They went into town to have dinner by themselves," Dad told me.

I nodded. Although they were keeping it on the quiet side, my brothers and I knew that "Uncle" Mark and Aunt Beth had been spending time together recently. I'm not sure why they thought they had to keep it quiet.

"Where's John?" Mom asked sounding a little worried.

"He said he wasn't hungry and wanted to stay in his room," I told her trying to keep Virgil from having to say anything as I knew he wasn't happy about the arrangement.

"He'll be fine," Dad told her quickly before she could say anything. I saw him put an arm around her waist. "John knows not to venture off by himself. We'll get him something and take it up to the room for him."

Mom nodded, although I could still see her worry. I felt bad about that but I knew John was right. If she knew the truth we probably would be heading home tonight. I knew it was selfish, but I didn't want to head home yet.

"Okay," she said and then all of us headed for the lodge dinning room.


	3. Hiding the Truth

**Virgil's POV:**

Our second full day at the lodge, started out snowing hard. Looking out the window, all you could see was the falling snow. Even the nearby trees were hidden. I knew we wouldn't be doing any skiing that morning.

My two brothers were still sleeping, so I quietly got my clothes and headed for the room's bathroom to get showered and dressed.

By the time I was finished, both Scott and John were stirring. As John went into the bathroom, I dragged my school books out to get some of my homework done before breakfast.

"How can you even think of doing school work this early in the morning?" Scott complained from his bed, as he still hadn't gotten out of it yet.

"It has to get done sometime," I told him, sitting down at the desk.

To be honest, I actually enjoyed school. I wasn't sure what my older brother's problem was with it, but I knew better than to admit that to him. He'd just start teasing me and call me a geek all day, which I really didn't want to listen to.

I started doing some of my math homework. I was vaguely aware of Scott heading for the bathroom as John came out but I was concentrating more on my homework.

I heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I heard John call out.

"It's your Dad," came the reply. I heard John get off the bed and open the door. "Are you boys ready for breakfast?" he asked as I turned around in the chair to face him.

"Scott's still in the shower," John told him.

"Okay, well we're going to head down. Alan's driving your Mom crazy. As soon as Scott's done the three of you come down and join us."

"Okay," both John and I replied.

"John, are you feeling okay?" Dad asked my brother looking at him, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine," John said quickly.

I fought the urge to contradict my brother. I knew we should probably tell Dad that John wasn't feeling well. However, I didn't want either of my brothers mad at me and for some reason both of them were insistent that Dad and Mom not find out.

"Okay," Dad said, not sounding completely convinced. "I'll see you boys downstairs," he told us and then left the room pulling the door shut behind him.

I watched John go back over to his bed and lay down. I kept looking at him, debating on whether I shouldn't just go and tell Dad what was going on.

"Don't even think about it, Virgil. You promised not to say anything," John said from his spot on the bed.

I wasn't sure how he knew what I was thinking, but it did make up my mind for me. I had promised last night not to say anything. It was a promise I was starting to regret.

**Jeff's POV:**

The weather kept us all inside during the morning hours. Meg and I took the kids to the indoor pool after breakfast to keep them from driving us crazy. Beth and Mark disappeared somewhere together, and Cecily took advantage of us having Alan with us to spend some time by herself. More than likely, I would find her curled up in front of the fireplace with a book later.

From my spot on the side of the pool, I could keep an eye on my entire family. Meg was in the shallow end of the pool with Alan, trying to teach our four-year-old to swim, like she had all the other kids. Scott, Virgil, and Gordon had gotten together with some other kids and were playing pool volleyball. John hadn't gone into the pool at all. He was sitting on one of the pool chairs reading a book.

I was worried about my second eldest son. He seemed quieter than usual the last couple of days. Although I had tried not to let it show, the fact that he had not come down to dinner last night had me worried too. I had pretended otherwise because I didn't want to upset Meg. This was supposed to be a vacation. I wanted her to be able to enjoy herself. Have a chance to relax. I knew she needed it as much as I did.

I was about to go talk to him when I heard a commotion in the direction of the volleyball game.

"It touched the net."

"No it didn't, Scott," Virgil told him. "Face it, you guys lost the game."

"No, we didn't because your serve didn't go over the net cleanly. You're the one that wanted to play by that rule."

"It didn't touch the net."

"Do it over," I called over to them. I hadn't been paying attention to the game but I had no intention of letting the argument escalate into anything further.

"But . . ."

"Do it over," I said again cutting off Virgil's protest. "Or the two of you can have a fifteen minute time out."

"Yes sir," Virgil said as one of the kids on Scott's team tossed the ball over the net to him.

Not waiting to see how the game went, I picked my feet up out of the pool and got to my feet. I walked over to where John was and sat down on the edge of the pool chair next to him.

"Everything okay, son?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Dad. Everything is fine," he answered a little too quickly for my liking.

"And last night?"

" I was just tired from skiing," he told me. He didn't look up from his book.

"And today? What's with not wanting to swim?" I asked him.

John simply shrugged his shoulders. I knew he hated to feel like a bother to anyone. When he was sick, he never asked for anything unlike most kids who constantly wanted something even if it was just the comfort of a parent nearby. That had always made me worry about him more.

"Do you want to go back to the room?"

"I'm fine," John said softly.

"Okay, well if you change your mind just let me know," I told him. I saw him nod slightly.

I stood up and went back over to the pool. I sat on the edge of the pool in the shallow end, near Meg and Alan.

"Everything okay?" Meg asked me.

"Everything is fine," I told her, trying to keep any trace of doubt out of my voice. I was determined that she would enjoy this vacation.

~*~

After dinner that night, we all gathered in Meg and mine's room to watch a movie. Meg sat on the bed with Alan in her lap. Cecily and Beth were watching the movie from the bed themselves. Mark and I had joined the other four boys on the floor.

Glancing to my left, I saw John nodding off as he leaned back against the bed. Reaching out, I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards me. He didn't resist and soon I felt his head resting on my shoulder. Not long after that, his breathing became the slow and steady breathing of sleep.

Once again, I started wondering if something was wrong. Meg had said he went to sleep early last night, too. I also had noticed he had spent more time moving food around on his plate then actually eating anything. Meg was enjoying herself so much that I don't think she had noticed yet. I was hoping I could keep it that way, though I knew I had to keep a close eye on John myself.

**_The Next Morning:_**

It was midmorning, and Mark, Meg, Beth and I were sitting in the lounge of the lodge in front of the fireplace. Not far away, Alan, John and Cecily were at a table working on a puzzle although from the looks of things Alan wasn't being much help. He didn't really care if the pieces fit together or not, he was just putting them places. I saw John and Cecily keep taking pieces Alan had made 'fit' out of the puzzle. Scott, Virgil, and Gordon had headed out to the beginning slopes for some skiing.

The four of us had been planning on heading up to the advanced trails today, while Cecily kept tabs on the boys. I was having second thoughts though. Even though John had said he just didn't feel like skiing I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was up with him. Even if I went, I didn't think my mind would be on skiing.

"Why don't the three of you head out and get some skiing in," I suggested to them.

"Honey, are you sure?" Meg asked.

"Positive," I told her. "Part of this vacation was supposed to be so I could spend some time with the kids. I'll hang out here for now, and maybe after lunch John will feel like skiing and the boys and I can spend some time on the slopes together."

"Come on Meg, It'll be fun," Beth said encouragingly. "We haven't spent a lot of time together yet on this trip."

"Beth has a point," Mark said chiming in. "Why don't the two of you spend the afternoon together. Do some sisterly bonding."

"It'll be like old times," Beth said sounding even more excited.

"Well, okay," Meg said giving in. I knew the chance of spending some one on one time with her sister was a big lure to her. The two of them were close but they rarely spent any time alone anymore as Meg usually had at least one of the kids along with her when she spent time with her sister.

"Great," Beth said excitedly. "How about we grab something to eat and hit the slopes?" she suggested getting to her feet.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Meg asked as she stood up to follow her sister.

"Positive. It'll be good for you to spend some time with your sister," I told her standing up to give her a kiss. "Have fun!" I told her pulling her close after kissing her. I held her for a few moments before finally letting go. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied before turning to head over to the table where the kids were. She said a quick good-bye to John and Alan before joining her sister who was now waiting at the door to the lounge for Meg.

"Okay, Jeff so what's up?" Mark asked as the two women disappeared and I sat back down in the chair next to him.

"Can't I just want to spend some time with my kids?" I said looking over at him.

"Sure you can," he told me. "It's just that I've known you long enough to know there is something else on your mind."

I sighed. Sometimes it was a disadvantage to have a friend who knew me so well. It was almost impossible to hide anything from him. At the same time though, I knew I could always count on him to help me out.

"I guess I'm just worried about John. He just hasn't seemed like himself the last few days. I just don't want to be too far away from him, just in case."

"I'm surprised Meg agreed to go," Mark commented, taking a drink of the hot chocolate that sat in front of him. Sitting the cup back on the table he spoke again. "You haven't said anything to her, have you?" he asked, as it finally dawned on him why Meg didn't seem too concerned.

"If I said anything, she would insist that we head home as soon as she could have our stuff packed," I told him. "I don't want to ruin everyone's vacation over nothing.

Mark nodded his consent. We both knew Meg could get a little over protective of the kids at times, especially John.

"Besides, it could be nothing. There is no reason to concern her if there is nothing wrong," I said trying to convince him as much as I was trying to convince myself of that. I glanced over to where he was sitting with Alan and Cecily. I couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed a little pale.

**Scott's POV:**

"Are you okay?" Virgil asked me, as the two of us walked slowly up the steps of the lodge to our room. Dad wanted us to check on John, who had again skipped a meal. I had a feeling that Dad was getting suspicious that something was up and I couldn't help but wonder how much trouble I would be in for keeping this from him.

I was sore from skiing this morning. At one point, Gordon ran into me from behind taking us both down. Other than some bruises and being sore we were both okay though. I was hoping to go back out on the slopes again later this afternoon despite being sore. It was going to take more than that to keep me off of the slopes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sore." I told him. "It just feels like I got tackled," I commented. The last time I had been this sore was playing football with my friends last fall.

"You did, by an eight-year old on skis," Virgil responded. I looked over to see a grin on my brother's face.

"Funny," I told him, not at all amused, as I opened the door to our room. "Hey, John are you okay?" I said as I walked into the room. John was no where to be seen. Then I heard the sound of someone getting sick.

I headed for the bathroom. John was kneeling down in front of the toilet. As he got sick again, I knelt down beside him, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders. There wasn't much more I could do.

I looked over at Virgil. I could see the question on his face. He wanted to go get Dad. I knew the only reason Virgil had kept quiet was because it was what John and I had wanted. If he had his way, both mom and Dad would have known on Sunday.

I nodded silently. I knew we couldn't keep trying to keep this from Dad any longer. Not to mention that John was only getting worse, not better.

Virgil didn't waste time as he turned and headed for the door to the hotel room.


	4. Waiting

AN 3-3-09: Taking into considerations from comments left by a reader, this chapter has been rewritten. The overall storyline hasn't changed a great deal, though some details have.

AN: Thanks to the few of you who reviewed. Nice to know people are enjoying it. Siouxsmn, the beginning of this story has been posted elsewhere - both on FanLib and on my yuku site, so its possible you read it before. I've yet to complete the story though so there will be new content coming up eventually.

**Jeff's POV:**

I paced slowly in the hotel room Meg and I was sharing. Mark was in the boys room checking out John. Gordon and Alan were still downstairs with Cecily. I wasn't alone though. Scott and Virgil were in the room with me.

The two boys sat silently on the bed. I was well aware of their eyes on me yet I wasn't sure what to say to them. Couldn't decide if I was mad at them or not? I mean, yeah they had kept John being sick from me but wasn't I guilty of the same thing. I had my suspicions but I had just let it go. I hadn't wanted to worry Meg or interrupt the vacation. How could I yell at them for something I was just as guilty for?

"Dad, I'm sorry," Scott said breaking through my thoughts. "We shouldn't have kept it from you and Mom but John asked us to. He didn't want to ruin the trip for anyone. Don't blame Virgil either. He wanted to tell you Sunday but I convinced him not to."

"I'm just as guilty as you," Virgil spoke up from beside his brother not about to let Scott take all the responsibility for this.

I let out a sigh. Scott's words were echoing what I was feeling inside. I knew he felt responsible just like I did.

"I'm not mad at you, Scott," I told him as I stopped pacing and looked down at him. "I'm not mad at either of you," I said my gaze moving from Scott to Virgil. "I just wish this hadn't gotten so far out of hand."

Those last words weren't really directed at my kids but were more for myself. I should have seen the signs earlier. I had seen the signs earlier but had chose to ignore them. What kind of father was I?

"Mom's going to want to leave, isn't she?" Virgil asked bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, that's almost a guarantee," I told him. "Look, right now, I want the two of you to go downstairs and help Cecily keep an eye on the other two for me."

"Yes, sir," I heard them both say quietly as they got up off the bed and headed for the door. I followed them out of the room, wanting to go across the hall and see how John was.

I watched Scott and Virgil disappear around the corner and then turned to the hotel room they were sharing. Before I could take a step toward the door, I heard the squeak of it opening. Mark walked out into the hallway. He pulled the door shut with a soft thud and looked over at me.

"How is he?"

"Well, he's running a fever along with complaining of a sore throat. His tonsils and the lymph nodes of the neck are swollen. It could be a viral infection, tonsilitis, or strep throat. He'll need some further tests before I can say which one."

"I guess I'll have the kids start packing. We'll head back as soon as we can get everything packed," I said knowing that the others were going to be upset.

"Jeff, I understand you may want to head back early but I think we should get the tests run while we're out here. If it's a bacterial infection, I'd rather get him on antibiotics sooner rather than later. I've got a friend from medical school who works at the clinic at Denver General. Let me call him and see if he can see John sometime this evening. Then when Meg gets back the two of you can decide what you want to do."

I thought over Mark's advice. Not only was he my doctor, he was also my best friend. I knew he had their bests interests in mind just as much as I did. There was also no way to reach Meg while she was out on the slopes. It could be a couple of hours yet before she and Beth came back to the lodge. I didn't see any reason not to get a better idea of what we were dealing with while we waited.

"Go ahead, and call your friend," I told him.

"I'll go get a hold of Al and see if he can see John," Mark replied, before walking toward his hotel room, getting his cell phone out of his pocket as he did so.

As he disappeared inside, I opened the door to the kid's room and walked in. I wanted to check on John first and then I'd head downstairs to talk to Cecily and the other kids. If Mark's friend could see John, then I planned on having Cecily keeping an eye on the other four until Meg got back so I could go along with Mark and John.

**_Two hours later:_**

Mark, John and I were sitting in the waiting area at the clinic at Denver General. Mark's friend, Dr. Al Jordan had been on duty today. He had agreed to see John after his last scheduled appointment for the day.

Mark was sitting two seats down from me. He was browsing through an issue of Time that had been in the magazine rack. Between us, John was sitting with his head resting on my shoulder. The ibuprofen Mark had given him had helped his headache but he was still running a fever.

I glanced up at the clock. Five minutes to six. I had thought Meg and Beth would have gotten back to the lodge by now for dinner but my cell phone had yet to ring. I was sure she'd call me as soon as Cecily told her what was going on.

~_They're probably just enjoying themselves and haven't come back yet, _~ I told myself, trying not to worry.

I looked back down at the magazine Mark had handed me but couldn't really concentrate on it. It wasn't long before my cell phone was ringing. Trying not to disturb John, I took the phone off the belt clip. Looking down at the screen, I saw the phone number for the lodge instead of my wife's cell phone number.

"Hello."

"Mr. Tracy," came Cecily's voice, which I had not been expecting to hear. Right away I could tell that something was wrong. Had something happened to one of the other boys?

"What is it, Cecily?"

"Have you seen or any of the news lately?" she asked timidly. I could tell she was biding time. Trying to figure out how to tell me what she had called to tell me.

"No, I haven't," I told her trying to be patient. What I wanted to do was yell at her to just tell me what was wrong. Had something happened to one of the kids? Meg? Beth?

"Mr. Tracy . . . there was an avalanche here at the resort. Up on the advanced trails . . . "

I felt my heart drop. She didn't have to finish for me to know what she was going to say. To know what had her so upset.

"Meg and Beth aren't back yet," I stated. It wasn't something I needed her to confirm but she did anyway.

"No Mr. Tracy, they aren't," she said, with a shaky voice.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I told her.

"Okay," she said before hanging up.

I ended the call and put the phone back on the clip. John was sitting up in the chair now and both he and Mark were looking at me.

Before I could say anything though, a nurse spoke up from the doorway.

"John Tracy."

"Let's go," I said, not wanting to really discuss the phone call in front of John. I wanted to protect him as much as I could.

The three of us stood up and headed toward the door the nurse was holding open. As the door shut behind us a balding man in a white lab coat spoke up.

"Hey Mark. It's good to see you again though I wish it was under different circumstances," he said.

"Likewise, Al," Mark replied shaking hands with him. "Al, this is my friend Jeff Tracy and his son John," he added introducing us.

I shook hands with Dr. Jordan. The balding doctor then greeted John. I could tell he had plenty of experience dealing with kids.

"Why don't we step into this free exam room over here and we can try to figure out what it is we're dealing with."

"If you don't mind, Dr. Jordan, could you start without us. I need to discuss something with Mark."

"Of course," he replied with a slight nod. He then turned to John, and after a few words I couldn't quite make out, was leading my second eldest to the exam room he had indicated.

The nurse had disappeared, leaving Mark and me alone in the corridor. I could see the curiosity written on my friend's face as he turned to face me.

"Jeff, what's going on? Does this have to do with that phone call you just received?"

I nodded. "That was Cecily calling from the resort. There was an avalanche out on the slopes."

"Meg and Beth?" he asked his expression changing from confusion to concern.

"Cecily said they haven't come back yet."

"That doesn't mean they were caught up in it," Mark told me. I wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure me or himself. I know he cared for Beth very much not to mention he had gotten to know Meg well over the years. I knew this wasn't any easier for him than it was I.

"I know. Still, I need to get back there. Check up on the kids and see if there is anything I can do to help. Can you stay here with John?"

"Don't worry about John," he replied. "The other kids need you more right now."

"Thanks. I'll call as soon as I know anything," I told him turning to leave the hospital. A couple of steps later I turned back to face him. "Mark, don't say anything to John about this. No matter what happens I want him to hear it from me."

"I'll try," Mark told me.

I nodded and as Mark headed toward the exam room, I headed back out to the waiting area. Walking as fast as I could, I hurried out to the rental van. Moments later I was on the road heading back toward the resort, praying that I didn't come across any cops as the speed limit was the last thing on my mind.

~*~

As soon as you drove into the parking lot at the resort you could tell that something was going on. The place was swarming with ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. Overhead, a helicopter flew low over the mountain, its spotlight helping the search in the fading light. The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains in the west and it would soon be completely dark.

Getting out of the car, I headed for the lodge. My first priority was checking up on the kids. After that I could see if I could help out in any way. Having volunteered with my local fire company in highschool and working as a paramedic in college, I knew a little bit about search and rescue.

"Dad!" I heard Scott shout as soon as I walked into the lodge. Looking toward the sound of his voice, I saw him hurrying toward me from the direction of the lounge. Gordon and Virgil weren't far behind him.

Moments later all three kids were hugging me. I could tell they were worried and unfortunately there wasn't much I could do to reassure them. I didn't want to go making them any promises that I couldn't keep.

"Where's Cecily?" I asked a few minutes later.

"In the lounge," Scott said nodding in the direction he had just come from.

"Well let's go join her," I told him putting an arm around his shoulders.

"How's John?" Virgil asked as we made our way back toward the lounge.

"He's with the doctor. Mark's with him, " I told him as we entered the lounge. I spotted Cecily right away. She was sitting on a couch, Alan asleep in her lap.

"Have you heard anything new?" I asked her as I sat down on the couch next to her. Scott, Virgil and Gordon sat down on the floor around a board game that they had evidently been trying to play before I came back.

"No," she said softly, shaking her head. I could see faint tear stains on her cheeks although she wasn't crying now. "I reported the two of them missing to the police chief and gave them a description. Last report was that they hadn't located anyone on the slopes yet. The lodge manager is still trying to determine just how many people are still missing."

I nodded. I didn't envy the lodge manager that task. It looked as if it was going to be a long night for everybody here tonight. Not to mention those elsewhere who had family members staying here and had heard about the avalanche.

Family members!

I should probably call Meg's parents as well as my own mother and tell them what was going on. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket as I got up and headed to an empty corner of the lounge where the kids wouldn't over hear my conversations.

I called my mother first knowing it would be the easier of the two phone calls. I was still trying to figure out how to tell my mother and father-in-law that both of their daughters were missing.


End file.
